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Elon Musk
FRS
Portrait of Elon Musk, a white, middle-age man with short, dark hair, wearing a morning coat
Musk in 2018
Administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born
Elon Reeve Musk

(1971-06-28) June 28, 1971 (age 53)
Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
Citizenship
  • South Africa
  • Canada (from 1989)
  • United States (from 2002)
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2000; div. 2008)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2010; div. 2012)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2013; div. 2016)​
Children12[1]
Parents
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA, BS)
Occupation
AwardsFull list
Signature
Elon Musk's voice
Elon Musk speaking about India and his meeting with its prime minister, Narendra Modi
Recorded June 20, 2023
This article is part of
a series about
Elon Musk
Personal
Companies
Politics
In popular culture
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Elon Reeve Musk (/ˈiːlɒn mʌsk/; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman and conservative political figure known for his key roles in the automotive company Tesla, Inc. and the space company SpaceX. He is also known for his ownership of X Corp. (the company that operates the social media platform X, formerly Twitter), and his role in the founding of the Boring Company, xAI, Neuralink, and OpenAI. Musk is the second wealthiest individual in the world; as of January 2025, Forbes estimates his net worth to be US$426 billion.

A member of the wealthy South African Musk family, Musk was born in Pretoria and briefly attended the University of Pretoria. At the age of 18 he immigrated to Canada, acquiring its citizenship through his Canadian-born mother, Maye. Two years later, he matriculated at Queen's University in Canada. Musk later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and received bachelor's degrees in economics and physics. He moved to California in 1995 to attend Stanford University but never enrolled in classes, and with his brother Kimbal co-founded the online city guide software company Zip2. The startup was acquired by Compaq for $307 million in 1999. That same year, Musk co-founded X.com, a direct bank. X.com merged with Confinity in 2000 to form PayPal. In 2002, Musk acquired United States citizenship, and that October eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion. Using $100 million of the money he made from the sale of PayPal, Musk founded SpaceX, a spaceflight services company, in 2002.

In 2004, Musk was an early investor in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors, Inc. (later Tesla, Inc.), providing most of the initial financing and assuming the position of the company's chairman. He later became the product architect and, in 2008, the CEO. In 2006, Musk helped create SolarCity, a solar energy company that was acquired by Tesla in 2016 and became Tesla Energy. In 2013, he proposed a hyperloop high-speed vactrain transportation system. In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI, a nonprofit artificial intelligence research company. The following year Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company developing brain–computer interfaces, and the Boring Company, a tunnel construction company. In 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Musk, alleging he falsely announced that he had secured funding for a private takeover of Tesla. To settle the case, Musk stepped down as the chairman of Tesla and paid a $20 million fine. In 2022, he acquired Twitter for $44 billion, merged the company into his newly-created X Corp., and rebranded the service as X the following year. In 2023, Musk founded xAI, an artificial intelligence company.

Musk's actions and expressed views have made him a polarizing figure. He has been criticized for making unscientific and misleading statements, including: COVID-19 misinformation; affirming antisemitic, homophobic and transphobic comments; and promoting conspiracy theories. His ownership of Twitter has been controversial because of: large employee layoffs; an increase in posts containing hate speech, misinformation and disinformation on the service; and changes to service features, including verification. Musk has engaged in political activities in several countries, including as a vocal and financial supporter of U.S. president Donald Trump, becoming the largest donor in the 2024 United States presidential election and an informal advisor during his second presidency. In January 2025, he was appointed by Trump as administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Early life and education

Childhood and family

See also: Family of Elon Musk

Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital.[2][3] He is of British and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry.[4][5] His mother, Maye (née Haldeman), is a model and dietitian born in Saskatchewan, Canada, and raised in South Africa.[6][7][8][a] His father, Errol Musk, is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, emerald dealer, and property developer, who partly owned a rental lodge at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve.[14][15][16][17] Elon has a younger brother, Kimbal, a younger sister, Tosca, as well as four paternal half-siblings.[18][19][8][20]

The Musk family was wealthy during Elon's youth.[17] Despite both Elon and Errol previously stating that Errol was a part owner of a Zambian emerald mine,[17] in 2023, Errol recounted that the deal he made was to receive "a portion of the emeralds produced at three small mines".[21][22] Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council as a representative of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party and has said that his children shared their father's dislike of apartheid.[2]

After his parents divorced in 1980, Elon chose to live primarily with his father.[4][14] Elon later regretted his decision and became estranged from his father.[23] Elon has recounted trips to a wilderness school that he described as a "paramilitary Lord of the Flies" where "bullying was a virtue" and children were encouraged to fight over rations.[24] In one incident, after an altercation with a fellow pupil, Elon was thrown down concrete steps and beaten severely by the boy and his friends, leading to him being hospitalized for his injuries.[25] Elon described his father berating him after he was discharged from the hospital, saying, "I had to stand for an hour as he yelled at me and called me an idiot and told me that I was just worthless."[25] Errol denied berating Elon and claimed, "The boy had just lost his father to suicide and Elon had called him stupid. Elon had a tendency to call people stupid. How could I possibly blame that child?".[26]

Elon was an enthusiastic reader of books, and had attributed his success in part to having read The Lord of the Rings, the Foundation series, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[16][27] At age ten, he developed an interest in computing and video games, teaching himself how to program from the VIC-20 user manual.[28] At age twelve, Elon sold his BASIC-based game Blastar to PC and Office Technology magazine for approximately $500.[29][30]

Education

An ornate school building
Musk graduated from Pretoria Boys High School in South Africa.

Musk attended Waterkloof House Preparatory School, Bryanston High School, and then Pretoria Boys High School, where he graduated.[31] Musk was a good but unexceptional student, earning a 61 in Afrikaans and a B on his senior math certification.[32] Musk applied for a Canadian passport through his Canadian-born mother to avoid South Africa's mandatory military service,[33][34] which would have forced him to participate in the apartheid regime,[2] as well as to ease his path to immigration to the United States.[35] While waiting for his application to be processed, he attended the University of Pretoria for five months.[36]

Musk arrived in Canada in June 1989, connected with a second cousin in Saskatchewan,[37] and worked odd jobs including at a farm and a lumber mill.[38] In 1990, he entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.[39][40] Two years later, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied until 1995.[41] Although Musk has said that he earned his degrees in 1995, the University of Pennsylvania did not award them until 1997 – a Bachelor of Arts in physics and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the university's Wharton School.[42][43][44][45][46] He reportedly hosted large, ticketed house parties to help pay for tuition, and wrote a business plan for an electronic book-scanning service similar to Google Books.[47]

In 1994, Musk held two internships in Silicon Valley: one at energy storage startup Pinnacle Research Institute, which investigated electrolytic supercapacitors for energy storage, and another at Palo Alto–based startup Rocket Science Games.[48][49] In 1995, he was accepted to a graduate program in materials science at Stanford University, but did not enroll.[44][42][50] Musk decided to join the Internet boom, applying for a job at Netscape, to which he reportedly never received a response.[51][33] The Washington Post reported that Musk lacked legal authorization to remain and work in the United States after failing to enroll at Stanford.[50] In response, Musk claimed he was allowed to work at that time and that his student visa transitioned to an H1-B. According to numerous former business associates and shareholders, Musk claimed he was on a student visa at the time.[52]

Business career

Main article: Business career of Elon Musk
Clockwise from top:

In 1995, Elon, co-founded what would later become known as Zip2,[53][54] later selling the company to Compaq for $307 million in 1999.[55][56] Receiving $22 million in the process,[57] Musk used $12 million of the proceedings to co-found the e-payment company X.com that same year.[58] In 2000, X.com merged with the online bank Confinity.[59][60][61] In 2002, Musk received $176 million after PayPal acquired eBay as the companies largest shareholder,[62][63] and would much later purchase the X.com domain from Payal,[64][65] with the intention of creating an "everything app".[66] In 2004, with an investment of $6.3 million, Musk then became the chairman and majority shareholder of Tesla.[67][68] In 2016, Musk co-founded the neurotechnology startup company Neuralink, with an investment of $100 million,[69][70] followed by founding the Boring Company to construct tunnels.[58][71] In 2022, Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter, becoming the CEO of Twitter, prior to it's rebranding to X the following year.[72]

Beginning with his involved with space exploration companies in early 2001,[73] he founded SpaceX in 2002,[74][75] with the company attempting the first rocket launch in 2006.[76] Since 2019,[77] SpaceX been developing Starship, a reusable, super heavy-lift launch vehicle,[78] and in 2015, they began development of the Starlink for satellite Internet access.[54] Having sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine in 2022,[79] Musk refused to block Russian state media on Starlink, declaring himself "a free speech absolutist",[55][80] and later faced criticism over denying access over Crimea.[81][82][83]

With Tesla, he assumed leadership as CEO and product architect in 2008.[84] In 2018, Musk was sued by the SEC for a tweet stating that funding had been secured for potentially taking Tesla private,[85][b] later settling with the SEC, with Musk steping down as Tesla chairman while remaining it's CEO.[89] In 2023, shareholders filed a lawsuit,[56] and a jury subsequently found Musk and Tesla not liable.[90] As of 2019, Musk was the longest-tenured CEO of any automotive manufacturer globally,[91] and under the CEO, Tesla has also constructed multiple lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle factories, named Gigafactories.[92] By 2020, Tesla stock has risen significantly, becoming the most valuable carmaker.[93] The following year, Tesla became the sixth company in US to reach a valuation of $1 trillion.[94]

Twitter

Main articles: Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk and Twitter under Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
 Twitter logo, a stylized blue bird
April 14, 2022[95]

In early 2017, Musk expressed interest in buying Twitter and had questioned the platform's commitment to freedom of speech.[96][97][98] By 2022, Musk had reached 9.2% stake in the company,[99] making him the largest shareholder.[100][c] Musk later agreed to a deal that would appoint him to Twitter's board of directors and prohibit him from acquiring more than 14.9% of the company.[102][103] Days later, Musk made a $43 billion offer to buy Twitter,.[100][104] By the end of April Musk had successfully concluded his bid for approximately $44 billion.[105] This included approximately $12.5 billion in loans and $21 billion in equity financing.[106][107] Have back tracked on his initial decision,[108] Musk bought the company on October 27, 2022.[109]

Avatar of Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
 Twitter logo, a stylized blue bird
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
Yes
 
 57.5%
No
 
 42.5%
17,502,391 votes · Final results
December 18, 2022[110][111]

Immediately after the acquisition, Musk fired several top Twitter executives including CEO Parag Agrawal;[109][112] Musk became the CEO instead.[113] Under Elon Musk, Twitter instituted monthly subscription for a "blue check",[114][115][116] and laid off a significant portion of the company's staff.[117][118] Musk lessened content moderation and hate speech also increased on the platform after his takeover.[119][120][121][122] In late 2022, Musk released internal documents relating to Twitter's moderation of Hunter Biden's laptop controversy in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.[123] Musk also promised to step down as CEO after a Twitter poll,[124][125] and five months later, Musk stepped down from chief executive officer (CEO) and transitioned his role to executive chairman and chief technology officer (CTO).[126] Despite Musk stepping down as CEO, X continues to struggle with challenges such as viral misinformation,[127] hate speech, and antisemitism controversies.[128][129]

Other activities

Main article: Other activities of Elon Musk
Musk seated on a stage
Musk at a tech conference hosted at the Yellowstone Club in March 2024
A long white tube about 10 feet in diameter
A tube part of the 2017 Hyperloop pod competition, sponsored by SpaceX

Musk is president of the Musk Foundation he founded in 2001,[130][131] whose stated purpose is to provide solar-power energy systems in disaster areas, with an interest in human space exploration, pediatrics, renewable energy, and "safe artificial intelligence".[132] From 2002 to 2018, the foundation donated nearly half of it's $25 million directly to Musk's Opan AI.[133][134] Musk is committed to the Giving Pledge, intended to give the majority of his wealth to charitable causes either during his lifetime or in his will,[135] and as of 2020, has given away less than 1% of his net worth.[136] The foundations assets reached $9.4 billion by the end of 2021.[137]

In August 2013, Musk announced plans for a version of a vactrain and assigned engineers from SpaceX and Tesla to design a transport system between to be built between Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, at an estimated cost of $6 billion.[138] [139] Later that year, Musk unveiled the concept, dubbed the Hyperloop,[140] intended to make travel cheaper than any other mode of transport for such long distances.[141] In January 2017, Musk announced Hyperloop had started a new tunnel project, with Hawthorne Municipal Airport as its destination,[142] with the project discontinued in 2022.[143]

In December 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI, a not-for-profit artificial intelligence (AI) research company aiming to develop artificial general intelligence , intended to be safe and beneficial to humanity,[144] Musk pledged $1 billion of funding to the company.[145] and as of 2023, he has donated approximately $50 million.[146] In 2018, Musk left the OpenAI board,[147] and since then, OpenAI has made significant advances in machine learning by producing neural networks.[148] In July 2023, Musk launched the artificial intelligence company xAI, which aims to develop a generative AI program that competes with existing offerings like ChatGPT. The company hired engineers from Google and OpenAI.[149] and Musk obtained funding from investors in SpaceX and Tesla.[150]

In July 2018, Musk arranged for his employees to build a mini-submarine to assist the rescue of children trapped in a flooded cavern in Thailand,[151] built by engineers from SpaceX and the Boring Company,[152][153] however it was not practical for the rescue mission.[151][154] In March 2019, Musk was one of the 187 people who received various honors conferred by the King of Thailand for involvement in the rescue effort.[155] In September, Unsworth filed a defamation suit seeking $190 million in damages.[156][157][158] Musk apologized and in December the jury ruled that Musk was not liable for the claim.[159][160]

After 2020, thousands of acres of land just outside Austin, Texas, were acquired by Musk and his companies with a total value of $2.5 billion.[161][162] The project to build the company town named Snailbrook in Bastrop County, Texas began in 2021,[163] and There are plans to establish a school and a university there.[161]

Private jet

Main articles: ElonJet and 2022 Twitter suspensions
Avatar of Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
 Elon Musk
@elonmusk
 Twitter logo, a stylized blue bird

Same doxxing rules apply to "journalists" as to everyone else

December 16, 2022[164]

Musk uses a private jet owned by Falcon Landing LLC, a SpaceX-linked company, and acquired a second jet in August 2020.[165][166] His heavy use of the jets and the consequent fossil fuel usage have received criticism.[165][167] Musk's flight usage is tracked on social media through ElonJet.[168][169][170] In December 2022, Musk banned the ElonJet account on Twitter, as well as the accounts of journalists that posted stories regarding the incident, including Donie O'Sullivan, Keith Olbermann, and journalists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and The Intercept.[171]

Wealth

This paragraph is an excerpt from Wealth of Elon Musk.[edit]
Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$436 billion as of January 22, 2025, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index,[172] and $426 billion according to Forbes,[173] primarily from his ownership stakes in Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX.[174] In November 2021, he became the first person in the world to have a net worth above $300 billion, and in December 2024, he became the first person to reach a net worth of $400 billion.[175]

Views

Main article: Views of Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
 Elon Musk
@elonmusk
 Twitter logo, a stylized blue bird

My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk

November 6, 2022[176]

Musk has often been described as libertarian,[177] but described himself as "politically moderate" until 2022.[178] Following the COVID-19 pandemic, his views have also been described as becoming more right-wing and conservative over time, sometimes being described as far-right.[179] Within the context of American politics, Musk supported Barack Obama in 2008[180] and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020, and Donald Trump in 2024.[181] In 2022, Musk said he would start voting for Republican Party candidates,[182] with him showing support for Vivek Ramaswamy in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries.[183] He has stated support for universal basic income,[184] gun rights,[185] freedom of speech,[186] and a tax on carbon emissions, and he opposes government subsidies.[187][188] He is also a critic of illegal immigration[189][190] and short-selling.[191]

Musk has expressed concern about issues such as artificial intelligence (AI), climate change and population decline. He has also criticized COVID-19 lockdowns, public transportation, and labor unions.[192] He has promoted conspiracy theories, and made controversial statements that have led to accusations of sexism, antisemitism,[193][194] support of white pride and transphobia.[195][196] His views on international relations, including on the China-Taiwan and Russia-Ukraine conflicts, have received mixed reactions.

Politics

Main article: Political activities of Elon Musk
Musk with then-president-elect Donald Trump in November 2024

Musk is an outlier among executives who typically avoid partisan political advocacy.[197][198][199] By early 2024, Musk had become a vocal and financial supporter of Donald Trump.[200] He was his largest individual 2024 presidential campaign donor and largest individual donor of the 2024 election.[201]

While previously considered relatively apolitical and moderate, Musk has shifted to the right and become more vocal about his views, notably since acquiring Twitter in 2022,[202] and his views are now generally described as right-wing and conservative.[203][204][205][206][207] He has shared far-right misinformation[208][209][210] and numerous conspiracy theories.[211][212] Despite this, he still describes himself as politically moderate, rejecting the conservative label.[213]

Musk was a registered independent voter when he lived in California.[214] Historically, he has donated to both Democrats and Republicans,[215] many of whom serve in states in which he has a vested interest.[216] Beginning in the late 2010s, his political contributions have shifted almost entirely to supporting Republicans.[217]

Musk voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election.[218] In the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Musk endorsed candidate Andrew Yang and expressed support for his proposed universal basic income.[219] He also endorsed Kanye West's 2020 presidential campaign.[220] He voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 US presidential election.[221]

In May 2022, Musk said that he could "no longer support" the Democrats, arguing they are the "party of division & hate",[222][223] and wrote a tweet encouraging "independent-minded voters" to vote Republican in the 2022 US elections.[224][225] That fall he gave over $50 million to Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee that ran advertisements in swing states attacking Democrats on issues such as transgender care and illegal immigration.[226] He supported Republican Ron DeSantis for the 2024 US presidential election, giving $10 million to the campaign in 2023,[226] and hosted DeSantis's campaign announcement on a Twitter Spaces event.[227][228][229] In August 2023, Musk suggested Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy should be the vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket.[230]

After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Musk wished Trump a speedy recovery and endorsed him for president.[231][232] In a July 2024 post on X, Musk shared a deepfake video of Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's opponent in the 2024 presidential election, which appeared to show Harris saying she was the "ultimate diversity hire" and did not know how to manage the United States.[233] Musk wrote that the video was "amazing" and did not reveal that it was edited, despite X prohibiting "synthetic, manipulated" content "that may deceive".[233]

In August 2024, Musk and Trump spoke for over two hours on a livestream on X, in which Musk suggested that Trump create a government efficiency commission which he offered to serve on.[234] Trump said he would "love" to have Musk involved and later said he needed Musk's help to eliminate the Department of Education.[234] On September 15, 2024, after the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Musk wrote on X that it was odd that nobody had tried to kill Biden or Harris.[235] After widespread condemnation, he deleted the post,[235] but the United States Secret Service said it was opening a probe.[236]

In October 2024, Musk joined Trump on stage at a campaign rally.[237] In November 2024, news media described how Musk was "sharing and posting demonstrably false anti-Harris disinformation to his 200 million followers"[238] on X and promoting conspiracy theories and falsehoods about Democrats, election fraud[238] and immigration in support of Trump.[239][240]

After becoming president-elect, Trump announced that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would run a new Department of Government Efficiency, and advisory commission to the President.[241] Musk was described as derailing a December 2024 continuing resolution bill to fund the government by posting numerous false and misleading claims about the bill's content on his X account, including false claims of it funding bioweapons labs and requiring vaccine mandates.[242]

Musk opposes a "billionaire tax",[243] and has argued on Twitter with more left-leaning Democratic politicians such as Bernie Sanders,[244][245] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,[246] and Elizabeth Warren.[247] He has criticized the Black Lives Matter protests, particularly regarding the authenticity of the phrase "Hands up, don't shoot".[248][249] Musk promoted a baseless theory relating to the attack of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, but later deleted the tweet.[250] He also used X to spread disinformation and election conspiracy theories about the Federal Emergency Management Agency's relief efforts for Hurricane Helene.[251] Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger requested that X remove a fabricated video purporting to show a Haitian immigrant who had voted multiple times. Musk complied, but the video had already gone viral.[252]

In December 2024, Musk expressed support for the H-1B visa program, which allows the hiring of highly-skilled foreign workers, especially by the technology companies in the United States, while some far-right activists such as Laura Loomer opposed it on X.[253][254][255]

Department of Government Efficiency

Main article: Department of Government Efficiency

US president-elect Donald Trump announced on November 12, 2024, that Musk would become an inaugural leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a governmental advisory body that will "slash excess regulations [and] cut wasteful expenditures".[256][257] During the Trump campaign, Musk said he would reduce federal outlays by $2 trillion. After the election, he stated $2 trillion would be a best-case scenario, but he had a "good shot" at cutting $1 trillion.[258] He has not specified the timeframe over which the cuts might occur; budget experts generally assess fiscal matters over a 10-year budget window.[259]

Vivek Ramaswamy was initially named as a coleader.[256][257] Musk advocated for the DOGE to operate as a small team within the federal government, while Ramaswamy envisioned it as an outside nongovernmental organization. Musk also differed from Ramaswamy in wanting a technology and data-driven approach to cut spending, whereas Ramaswamy pushed for regulatory reforms in statute.[260]

On January 20, 2025, a Trump executive order established the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, set to expire on July 4, 2026, under the jurisdiction of the United States DOGE Service, in the Executive Office of the President.[261] Musk was appointed as sole administrator of the organization after Ramaswamy departed the Trump administration. Musk said that his role as the head of the DOGE would be unpaid.[262][263][264] The executive order tasked the DOGE with modernizing governmental information technology to "maximize governmental efficiency and productivity".[261]

Musk was given office space in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, with about 20 people working for the DOGE in the main office. The DOGE will also have teams of at least 4 people in each federal agency to implement the DOGE agenda. The DOGE agency teams would have "full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems", allowing Musk to use expertise from his business ventures to achieve his aims. Musk was authorized to recruit outside volunteer experts to staff the DOGE.[260][258][262] Prior to the setup of government offices, Musk initially staffed the DOGE effort by scouting his businesses for talent, with SpaceX's Washington, D.C. offices being used to house dozens of employees working on DOGE initiatives.[260]

Conservative PAC activities

In 2022, Musk provided over $50 million to fund Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee (PAC) created by former Trump senior advisor Steven Miller to finance $93 million in advertisements related to culture war issues. The New York Times and OpenSecrets reported in October 2024 that some of Musk's donations were routed through Building America's Future, a non-profit organization and the hub of a dark money network supporting Trump. The organization created "Progress 2028", which promoted misinformation about the agenda of Democratic presidential candidate Harris, and was presented as the left's response to Project 2025, Musk has also promoted the Fair Election Fund, which is heavily funded by Building America's Future, and offers rewards for evidence of election fraud. That organization is heavily involved in America PAC, which is founded and funded exclusively by Musk.[265][266][267][268][269] In October 2024, a Federal Election Commission filing showed that Musk contributed almost $75 million to his America PAC during the previous three months, and during that time, the PAC spent approximately $72 million to support Trump's campaign.[270][271]

In October 2024, Musk promoted a sweepstakes conducted by his America PAC, offering to pay $1 million per day to randomly selected registered voters in battleground states who signed a petition pledging support of the First and Second Amendments. Within days the U.S. Justice Department wrote America PAC warning that the sweepstakes might be illegal. Compensating people to register to vote violates federal law, and although registering to vote was not a condition to signing the petition, some legal analysts said the sweepstakes might induce people to register in order to participate. Musk's defenders said signing the petition did not specifically induce people to register, although he had previously said registering voters was one of his goals in Pennsylvania and had begun describing prize winners as America PAC "spokespeople".[272][273] After receiving the Justice Department's warning, Musk awarded two people $1 million each.[274] On October 28, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, sued Musk and America PAC.[275] Although Musk had originally said that the prize would be "randomly" awarded, his lawyer argued that recipients "earn" the money after being "selected based on their suitability to serve as spokesperson for America PAC". After an all-day hearing on November 4, the day before Election Day, the judge ruled that Musk could continue his daily giveaway.[276] On Election Day, Arizona resident Jacqueline McAferty filed a $5 million class action lawsuit against Musk and his PAC, arguing that she and others would not have signed the petition and provided her personal information had they known they had no chance of winning the prize.[277]

On October 16, 2024, Musk created and contributed $20.5 million as the sole donor to an "RBG PAC" that used the initials and name of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to try to convince voters that Trump would not sign a national abortion ban.[278] The PAC was formed the day after it would be required to disclose its donors before the election.[279]

On December 6, 2024, The Washington Post reported that Musk had donated $277 million to Trump and allied Republicans, making him the single largest individual political donor in the 2024 election and the largest donor since at least 2010, not counting candidates who funded their own campaigns, according to data from OpenSecrets. The Post described Musk as being referred to by some Republicans as "the Soros of the right".[201]

International politics

Alongside his direct involvement in US politics, Musk frequently comments and is active within the politics of various countries and international bodies, where he has frequently shared support for right-wing to far-fight political ideas,[280][281] and has been sometimes accused internationally of spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation.[282][283][284][285] He frequently shares his political views on international politics through his social media company X.

Musk's international political activity has come under increasing scrutiny, especially in Europe, due to his position in the incoming US Government,[286] with some saying his actions and comments appear as "foreign interference" in domestic affairs.[287] Musk's comments and actions have received increasing criticism from the Governments and Leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Spain and Germany.[288][289][290][291][292]

United Kingdom

In November 2023, Musk restored Tommy Robinson's account on X (Twitter), which had been banned under Twitter's previous owners. In August 2024, Musk responded to Robinson's post criticizing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the riots taking place in the UK.[293] Musk later said, "Shouldn't you [Starmer] be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?"[294] Musk responded to a tweet that the riots were due to the "effects of mass migration and open borders", with "Civil war is inevitable."[295] Starmer's spokesman responded there is "no justification for comments like that".[296][297] Musk went on to refer to the Prime Minister as "two-tier Keir".[298] Musk promoted a conspiracy theory that the UK government was planning to build detainment camps in the Falkland Islands to hold rioters.[299][300]

In November 2024, Musk wrote that Britain was "going full Stalin" following the government's decision to end the inheritance tax exemption on agricultural assets worth more than £1 million.[301]

In December 2024, The Standard reported that Musk was planning to donate $100 million to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party ahead of the next UK election, aiming to help Farage become Prime Minister, and may route the funds through X's UK branch to bypass donation laws.[302] The following month, Musk called for a new election in the UK, saying "only Reform can save Britain".[303] Musk also called for Robinson to be released from prison, following his sentencing in October 2024 for contempt of court.[304] Farage publicly stated that Robinson was not welcome in Reform UK.[305] Musk then called for the resignation of Farage as leader of Reform UK for not having "what it takes".[306]

In January 2025, Musk criticized the UK government over its refusal for a public inquiry into the child abuse scandals in northern UK towns such as Oldham and Rotherham, where many young girls were exploited by "grooming gangs" of adult men.[307] Musk called for minister Jess Phillips to be jailed and said she is a "rape genocide apologist",[308][309] when Phillips denied requests for a national government inquiry and instead suggested that the local Oldham Council may commission an inquiry.[310][311] Minister Wes Streeting responded that Musk's comments were "misjudged and certainly misinformed".[312][313] Musk further claimed that Phillips was a hypocrite,[314][315] since she had called member of parliament George Galloway "a rape apologist" when he had questioned the rape accusation against Julian Assange.[316]

Musk also called for Prime Minister Starmer to be arrested for his record as a former top national prosecutor during the child abuse scandals.[317] Musk posted a poll on X asking whether the US should "liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government".[318][319] Musk's comments were condemned by Starmer.[320] Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for the UK government to summon the US ambassador over the "interfering" comments, due to Musk's position in the incoming US government.[321] On Broadcasting House, Neil Kinnock urged politicians from all parties to unite against Musk, warning that his increasing power, particularly with his role in the Trump administration, posed a threat to the UK.[322]

Germany

Tesla has one of its largest factories in Germany, which opened in 2022.[323] According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk has been "souring" on Germany and its leaders long before December 2024.[323]

In December 2024, Musk endorsed the German far-right AfD party, stating "Only the AfD can save Germany" on his X account.[324] The endorsement came after previous comments Musk posted in June 2024 where he stated he did not believe AfD's policies were far-right and criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, calling him a "fool".[325] Following the revelation that the suspect in the 2024 Magdeburg car attack was a far-right, anti-Islam advocate who had praised Musk and the AfD,[326][327][328][329] Musk tweeted that suspect's atheism was a "scam to avoid extradition".[330] Later in December, Musk penned an op-ed supporting the AfD in Die Welt.[331][332][333]

In his 2025 new year address to the German people, Chancellor Scholz, appeared to criticize Musk's political activity relating to Germany on X saying that the federal election will be decided by the German people and "will not be decided by the owners of social media channels."[334][335][336]

On January 3, 2025, Musk announced he would be hosting a livestream with AfD leader Alice Weidel, which would be held on X, ahead of the federal elections.[337] The proposed livestream has caused backlash from German political leaders who have argued it could be election interference.[338] Musk's position as a member of the incoming Trump Administration led to Rolf Mützenich, leader of the Social Democratic Party in the Bundestag to make a statement in which he asked if the "interference in the election campaign were also expressed in the name of the new US government."[339]

In the interview, which took place January 9,[340] Musk said that his views were shaped by personal experiences dealing with German regulation and his observations about its political culture.[323] The European Commission announced that the interview would be analyzed to assess whether it adheres to European Union (EU) law, ensuring the platform does not give any political party preferential treatment,[341] and could potentially impact the ongoing investigation of Musk's X, for breaches of the EU Digital Services Act, which aims to combat misinformation on digital platforms and promote transparency of social media practices.[342][343][344]

Israel

Musk with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, November 27, 2023

In a YouTube podcast interview on November 10, 2023, Musk criticized Israel's retaliatory actions in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war, saying that Hamas "wanted to commit the worst atrocities that they could in order to provoke the most aggressive response possible from Israel". He added that, "if you kill somebody's child in Gaza, you have made at least a few Hamas members who will die just to kill an Israeli."[345] On November 17, 2023, Musk announced a policy change on the X platform, stating that X users who use terms such as "decolonization" and "from the river to the sea", or similar expressions that "necessarily imply genocide" of the Jewish people in Israel, will be suspended.[346] Several weeks later, Musk traveled to Israel where he toured with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu the kibbutz Kfar Aza, site of one of the worst atrocities during the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. He described the experience as "jarring".[347]

China

Musk has praised China and has been described as having a close relationship with the Chinese government, allowing access to its markets for Tesla.[348] After Gigafactory Shanghai produced its first batch of vehicles, Musk thanked the Chinese government and Chinese people while criticizing the United States and its people.[349]: 207–208  In 2022, Musk wrote an article for China Cyberspace, the official publication of Cyberspace Administration of China, which enforces Internet censorship in China. His writing the article was described as conflicting with his advocacy for free speech.[350][351] Musk later advocated for Taiwan to become a "special administrative zone" of China which drew cross-party criticism from Taiwanese lawmakers.[352][353][354]

Musk with former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, in 2022

Russia

In October 2022, Musk posted a Twitter poll and "peace plan" to resolve the Russian invasion of Ukraine by allowing Russia to keep the Crimea Peninsula, while Ukraine would adopt a neutral status and drop the bid to join NATO.[355][356] It was reported that Musk allegedly spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin prior to the proposal, which Musk denied.[357][358][359] Musk has repeatedly expressed concern that a protracted war between Russia and Ukraine could lead to the use of nuclear weapons and the outbreak of World War III.[360][361][362]

The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2024 that Musk had been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin, Sergey Kiriyenko, and other high ranking Russian government officials since late 2022, discussing personal topics, business and geopolitical matters. The Kremlin denied the report, stating Musk and Putin had spoken only once.[363][364] The Journal reported that in one instance Putin had asked Musk to avoid activating his Starlink satellite system over Taiwan, to appease Chinese president Xi Jinping, according to a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the situation.[365] Bloomberg and others had also previously reported in July 2023 that communications between Taiwan and SpaceX had broken down over the ownership of Starlink's subsidiary in the country.[366][367]

The communications with Putin were reported to be a closely held secret in government, given Musk's involvement in promoting the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump. One person said no alerts were raised by the US government, noting the dilemma of the government being dependent on Musk's technologies.[365] Democrat lawmakers and NASA administrator Bill Nelson stated that it should be investigated to find out if the report was accurate. "We should investigate what Elon Musk is up to to make sure that it is not to the detriment of the national security of the United States", elaborated Representative Adam Smith.[368] SpaceX officially responded via their X account stating, "Starlink is not available [in Taiwan] because Taiwan has not given us a license to operate, and regulators declined to remove a requirement that a foreign entity own 51% of Starlink to operate there. SpaceX has not accepted such a condition for any market in which it operates."[369]

Accusations of antisemitism

Civil rights group The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and several media outlets have accused Musk of sowing antisemitism due to his promotion of George Soros conspiracy theories,[370] although some Israeli officials defended Musk and denied that his criticism of Soros constituted antisemitism.[371]

On November 15, 2023, Twitter user Charles Weber, a Jewish conservative, posted a video from StopJewishHate.org condemning the phrase "Hitler was right"; Weber captioned the video: "To the cowards hiding behind the anonymity of the internet and posting 'Hitler was right': You got something you want to say? Why don't you say it to our faces."[372][373] In response, a second user posted "Okay. Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them. I'm deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don't exactly like them too much. You want truth said to your face, there it is." To the latter user, Musk replied, "You have said the actual truth."[372][373] Musk further clarified that he does not believe that "all Jewish communities" hate white people, but specifically took aim at the ADL.[374] He added, "You right [sic] that this does not extend to all Jewish communities, but it is also not just limited to ADL."[375]

The first tweet was widely regarded as echoing white nationalist sentiments[376] and affirmed another antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews push hatred against Whites.[377][378] The following day, Musk made a tweet which critics regarded as supporting white pride.[379][380] Advertisers distanced themselves from his tweets.[381]

At the DealBook Summit on November 29, 2023, after comments from Disney CEO Bob Iger explaining his decision to stop advertising on X after Musk's recent post, journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin questioned Musk about the withdrawal of advertisers. Musk responded, "I hope they stop. Don't advertise" and "If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is"; Musk singled out Iger, saying, "Hey Bob, if you're in the audience."[382][383] Musk acknowledged to Sorkin that one of his tweets—the one affirming an antisemitic conspiracy theory—was a mistake, saying, "I handed a loaded gun to those who hate me and to those who are antisemitic and for that I am quite sorry."[384] Musk described his tweet as "one of the most foolish, if not the most foolish, thing I've done".[385][386]

In January 2024, Musk visited the Auschwitz concentration camp with European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Jewish conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro and Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev.[387] He also spoke on a conference about rising antisemitism.[388] The New York Times described the trip as a part of an image "rehabilitation tour".[389]

In late January 2025, Musk received criticism from many individuals and groups that advocate against antisemitism when he gave a virtual speech at a campaign rally for the far-right German party Alternative for Germany. The speech, which took place two days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, included Musk railing against multiculturalism, which he compared negatively to German culture. He said there is "too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that", which was widely seen by critics as a reference to Nazi Germany. Abraham Foxman, who had previously criticized Musk for his straight-arm salute, stated that Musk's comments at the rally "helps place the hand gesture in perspective." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized Musk and the other speakers at the rally, stating that their comments about "'the need to forget German guilt for Nazi crimes' sounded all too familiar and ominous," especially coming so close to "the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz."[390]

Straight-arm gesture controversy

Main article: Elon Musk gesture controversy
Musk giving a gesture at the second inauguration of Donald Trump before saying "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."[391][392]

In his speech during the second inauguration of Donald Trump, Musk thumped his right hand over his heart, fingers spread wide, and then extended his right arm out, emphatically, at an upward angle, palm down and fingers together. He then repeated the gesture to the crowd behind him. As he finished the gestures, he said to the crowd, "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."[391][392][393] The gesture was viewed as a Nazi or Roman salute[d] by some, including politicians Yolanda Díaz, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jerry Nadler, as well as historian of fascism Ruth Ben-Ghiat.[394][395][396] Austria's Green Party and Germany's Die Linke called for Musk to be banned from entering their respective countries, citing the salute and his support for right-wing extremism and ongoing interference in European politics.[397][398] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Musk was "falsely smeared".[399]

Musk derided the claims as being politicized,[400][401] in one post he wrote: "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired",[402] but did not explicitly deny the claims.[403] The Anti-Defamation League stated that Musk did not make a Nazi salute, but "made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm". Jared Holt from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate, also said that he is skeptical it was on purpose, and that it could indicate a sort of gesture of thanks to the crowd.[403][404] However, former ADL national director Abraham Foxman described the gesture as a "Heil Hitler Nazi salute".[405] In further response to the events, Musk posted a series of puns about Nazis on Twitter, which the ADL condemned as "inappropriate" and "highly offensive".[406] Various media outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that regardless of what Musk meant, his gesture was widely embraced by right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis.[403][407]

COVID-19

Musk wearing a face mask
Musk wearing a bandana as a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic, April 2021

Musk was criticized for his public comments and conduct related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[408][409] He spread misinformation about the virus, including promoting a widely discredited paper on the benefits of chloroquine and claiming that COVID-19 death statistics were inflated.[410]

In March 2020, Musk stated, "The coronavirus panic is dumb."[411][412] In an email to Tesla employees, Musk referred to COVID-19 as a "specific form of the common cold" and predicted that confirmed COVID-19 cases would not exceed 0.1% of the US population.[408] On March 19, 2020, Musk predicted that there would be "probably close to zero" new cases in the US by end of April.[409] Politico labeled this statement one of "the most audacious, confident, and spectacularly incorrect prognostications [of 2020]".[413] Musk also falsely stated that children "are essentially immune" to COVID-19.[414][415]

Musk condemned COVID-19 lockdowns and initially refused to close the Tesla Fremont Factory in March 2020, defying the local shelter-in-place order.[408][416][417] In May 2020, he reopened the Tesla factory, defying the local stay-at-home order,[418][419] and warned workers that they would be unpaid, and their unemployment benefits might be jeopardized, if they did not report to work.[419] In December 2022, Musk called for prosecution of former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci.[420][421]

In March 2020, Musk promised that Tesla would make ventilators for COVID-19 patients if there were a shortage.[422] After figures such as New York City mayor Bill de Blasio responded to Musk's offer,[423] Musk offered to donate ventilators which Tesla would build or buy from a third party.[422] However, Musk ultimately purchased and donated BiPAP and CPAP machines rather than ventilators.[424][425]

In September 2020, Musk stated that he would not get the COVID-19 vaccine, because he and his children were "not at risk for COVID".[426][427] Two months later, Musk contracted COVID-19 but suggested his COVID-19 rapid antigen test results were dubious, as he had been tested four times on the same device with the same nurse but had received equal numbers of positive and negative results.[428] In December 2021, Musk said that he and his eligible children had received the vaccine, saying that the science behind the COVID vaccines was "unequivocal" but expressing his opposition to COVID vaccine mandates.[429]

Main article: Personal and business legal affairs of Elon Musk
Further information: List of lawsuits involving Tesla, Inc. and Criticism of Tesla, Inc.

In October 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Musk over his refusal to testify a third time in an investigation into whether he violated federal law by purchasing Twitter stock in 2022.[430][431][432] In February 2024, Judge Laurel Beeler ruled that Musk must testify again.[433] In January 2025, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Musk for securities violations related to his purchase of Twitter.[434] In January 2024, Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled in a 2018 lawsuit that Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla be rescinded.[435] McCormick called the compensation granted by the company's board "an unfathomable sum" that was unfair to shareholders.[436]

Musk and his America PAC were sued in Pennsylvania for allegedly operating an unlawful lottery before the 2024 US presidential election.[437] In November 2024, he was sued again regarding the lottery[438] and two US senators called for a probe into alleged contacts with Vladimir Putin.[439] A former Twitter executive sued Musk for "cheating" him and other ousted executives out of $200 million in severance pay.[440] A 22-year-old college graduate initiated a defamation lawsuit in October 2023 against Musk for over $1 million, alleging that Musk had falsely identified him as a participant "in a violent street brawl on behalf of a neo-Nazi extremist group" near Portland, Oregon.[441][442][443] Olympic boxer Imane Khelif filed a lawsuit for cyber harassment against X over alleged "acts of aggravated cyber harassment", in which Musk was named.[444]

In May 2022, Business Insider cited an anonymous friend of an unnamed SpaceX contract flight attendant, alleging that Musk engaged in sexual misconduct in 2016.[445][446][447] After the release of the article, Tesla's stock fell by more than 6%,[448] and Barron's wrote of the fall that "some investors considered key-man risk – the danger that a company could be badly hurt by the loss of one individual."[449] In June 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported Musk had a "romantic relationship" with a former intern at SpaceX, confirmed with affidavits supplied by the intern's lawyers who also represent Musk, and alleged that he had sexual relations with a woman who directly reported to him there and pursued sex with other SpaceX employees".[450] In the same month, eight ex-employees, the same eight who were previously fired for penning an anti-Musk letter at SpaceX, filed a lawsuit against Musk alleging sexual harassment.[451]

Personal life

Musk became a US citizen in 2002.[452] From the early 2000s until late 2020, Musk resided in California, where both Tesla and SpaceX were founded.[453] He then relocated to Boca Chica, Texas,[454][455] saying that California had become "complacent" about its economic success.[453][456][457]

While hosting Saturday Night Live in 2021, Musk stated that he has Asperger syndrome, although he has never been medically diagnosed.[458][459] Musk suffers from back pain and has undergone several spine-related surgeries, including a disc replacement.[460][461] He once contracted severe malaria while on vacation in South Africa.[462] Musk has stated he uses doctor-prescribed ketamine for occasional depression and that he doses it "once every other week",[463] while The Wall Street Journal has repeatedly alleged he takes it and other drugs recreationally.[464][465][466]

In his leisure time, he plays video games including Quake, Diablo IV, Elden Ring, and Polytopia.[467][468] In January 2025, several online influencers and game streamers claimed Musk cheated on Path of Exile 2 and Diablo IV by hiring outside services to invest hours of play into his accounts.[469]

Relationships and children

Musk has twelve children, one of whom is deceased.[1] He met his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson, while attending Queen's University in Ontario, Canada; they married in 2000.[470] In 2002, their first child died of sudden infant death syndrome at the age of 10 weeks.[471] After the baby's death, the couple used in vitro fertilization (IVF) to continue their family;[472] they had twins in 2004 followed by triplets in 2006.[472] The couple divorced in 2008 and have shared custody of their children.[473][474]

The elder twin later came out as a trans woman and, in 2022, officially changed her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson,[475] adopting her mother's surname because she no longer wished to be associated with Musk.[475] Musk blamed the estrangement on what the Financial Times characterized as "the supposed takeover of elite schools and universities by neo-Marxists", and has said that Vivian's gender transition is primarily what sparked his drive to "destroy the woke mind virus".[476][477] In a July 2024 episode of Jordan Peterson's podcast, Musk said that he had "lost [his] son, essentially" because of gender-affirming care. He commented: "You know, they call it deadnaming for a reason. The reason it's called deadnaming is because your son is dead", again referring to the "woke mind virus," stating that Vivian "is dead, killed by the woke mind virus".[478] Vivian responded publicly, criticizing Musk for his comments on the transition; saying that Musk was "cold", "quick to anger", "uncaring and narcissistic", and that his infrequent visits commonly involved him berating her for being feminine.[479] On November 7, 2024, in response to a news article about his daughter's reaction to Trump's election, Musk repeated "the woke mind virus killed my son."[480]

In 2008, Musk began dating English actress Talulah Riley.[481] They married two years later at Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland.[482][483] In 2012, the couple divorced, before remarrying the following year.[484] After briefly filing for divorce in 2014,[484] Musk finalized a second divorce from Riley in 2016.[485] Musk then dated Amber Heard for several months in 2017;[486] he had reportedly been "pursuing" her since 2012.[487]

In 2018, Musk and Canadian musician Grimes said that they were dating.[488] Grimes gave birth to their son in May 2020.[489][490] Musk and Grimes originally gave the baby the name "X Æ A-12", which would have violated California regulations as it contained characters that are not in the modern English alphabet,[491][492] which they then changed to "X Æ A-Xii".[493][494] They have received criticism for choosing a name perceived to be impractical and difficult to pronounce.[495]

In December 2021, Grimes and Musk had a second child, a daughter born via surrogacy.[496] Despite the pregnancy, Musk confirmed reports that the couple were "semi-separated" in September 2021; in an interview with Time in December 2021, he said he was single.[497][498] In March 2022, Grimes said of her relationship with Musk: "I would probably refer to him as my boyfriend, but we're very fluid."[496] Later that month, Grimes tweeted that she and Musk had broken up again.[499] In September 2023 it was reported that the pair had a third child, a son.[500] In October 2023, Grimes sued Musk over parental rights and custody of their eldest son.[501][502][503]

In July 2022, Insider published court documents revealing that Musk had twins via IVF with Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects at Neuralink, in November 2021.[504] They were born weeks before Musk and Grimes had their second child via surrogate in December. The news "raise[d] questions about workplace ethics", given that Zilis directly reported to Musk.[505] Their third child together was born in early 2024 via surrogacy.[506][1] Also in July 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk allegedly had an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, in 2021, leading to their divorce the following year.[507] Musk denied the report.[508] Musk also had a relationship with Australian actress Natasha Bassett, who has been described as "an occasional girlfriend".[509] In October 2024, The New York Times reported Musk bought a Texas compound for his children and their mothers,[510] though Musk denied having done so.[511]

Public image

Main article: Public image of Elon Musk
Musk with Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson and President-elect Donald Trump on November 16, 2024

Although his ventures have been highly influential within their separate industries starting in the 2000s, Musk only became a public figure in the early 2010s. He has been described as an eccentric who makes spontaneous and impactful decisions, while also often making controversial statements, contrary to other billionaires who prefer reclusiveness to protect their businesses. Musk's actions and his expressed views have made him a polarizing figure.[512] Biographer Ashlee Vance described people's opinions of Musk as polarized due to his "part philosopher, part troll" persona on Twitter.[513]

Musk has been described as an American oligarch due to his extensive influence over public discourse, social media, industry, politics, and government policy.[514] His influence in the second presidency of Donald Trump led some to call him the "actual president-elect", "shadow president" or "co-president".[515][516]

Notes

  1. ^ Elon's maternal grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman, who died when Elon was a toddler, was an American-born Canadian who took his family on record-breaking journeys to Africa and Australia in a single-engine AviaBellanca airplane.[9][10][11][12][9] In Canada, Haldeman was a political activist with the Social Credit Party of Canada and the Technocracy movement. After moving to South Africa in 1950, he wrote articles supporting apartheid and far-right conspiracy theories.[13]
  2. ^ Musk stated he was considering taking Tesla private at a price of $420 a share, an alleged reference to marijuana.[86] Members of Tesla's board and rapper Azealia Banks alleged that Musk may have been under the influence of recreational drugs when he wrote the tweet.[87][88]
  3. ^ He did not file the necessary SEC paperwork within 10 days of his stake passing 5%, a violation of US securities laws.[101]
  4. ^ The "Roman salute" is a gesture which was used by Italian Fascists, then adopted by the Nazis. It is not believed to have been used by ancient Romans.

References

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  2. ^ a b c Eligon, John; Chutel, Lynsey (May 5, 2022). "Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  3. ^ Vance (2017), pp. 25, 31.
  4. ^ a b Hall, Dana (April 11, 2014). "Rocket Man: The otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  5. ^ Elliott, Hannah (March 26, 2012). "At Home With Elon Musk: The (Soon-to-Be) Bachelor Billionaire". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  6. ^ His biography author Ashlee Vance interviewed on the TV show Triangulation on the TWiT.tv network, discussion of his family starts around the 15th minute
  7. ^ Vargas, Chanel (March 6, 2018). "11 Things to Know About Stunning 69-Year-Old Model Maye Musk". Town & Country. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Usborne, Simon (February 21, 2018). "Meet the Musks: who's who in Elon's extended family?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Hull, Dana; May, Patrick (April 10, 2014). "2014: Rocket Man: The otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Keating, Joseph C. Jr. (September 1995). "Joshua N Haldeman, DC: the Canadian Years, 1926–1950". The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. PMC 2485067.
  11. ^ Vance (2017), pp. 26–30.
  12. ^ Isaacson (2023), p. 16.
  13. ^ Benton, Joshua (September 21, 2023). "Elon Musk's Anti-Semitic, Apartheid-Loving Grandfather". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Isaacson (2023), p. 23.
  15. ^ Hull, Dana; May, Patrick. "Exploring the otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Friend, Tad (August 17, 2009). "Plugged In". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Smith, Adam (June 28, 2021). "50 years of Elon Musk's huge wealth, from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021. teenage Elon Musk once walked the streets of New York with emeralds in his pocket. His father said: "We were very wealthy. We had so much money at times we couldn't even close our safe," adding that one person would have to hold the money in place with another closing the door. "And then there'd still be all these notes sticking out and we'd sort of pull them out and put them in our pockets."
  18. ^ Kay, Grace (September 30, 2023). "Elon Musk's dad, 77, says he'd have more kids — but only if he could find a woman under 35". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  19. ^ Crilly, Rob (March 25, 2018). "Elon Musk's father has baby with step-daughter he has known since she was four". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Lieberman, Hallie. "The Musk of Romance". Wired. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  21. ^ Mann, Jyoti (September 11, 2023). "Elon Musk really was telling the truth by saying his father Errol never owned an emerald mine, biographer says". Business Insider. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  22. ^ Crellin, Zac (September 22, 2023). "Elon Musk's Dad Shares Deadly Secrets of Fabled Emerald Mine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Strauss, Neil (November 15, 2017). "Elon Musk: The Architect of Tomorrow". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
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  25. ^ a b Isaacson (2023), pp. 2–3.
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  28. ^ Vance (2017), p. 38.
  29. ^ O'Kane, Sean (June 9, 2015). "Play the PC game Elon Musk wrote as a pre-teen". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  30. ^ Belfiore (2007), pp. 166–195.
  31. ^ Mak, Aaron (December 4, 2019). "Elon Musk Says 'Pedo Guy' Was a Common Insult in His Youth. We Checked With His Schoolmates". Slate. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  32. ^ Isaacson (2023), p. 26.
  33. ^ a b Clifford, Catherine (June 12, 2018). "Multi-billionaire Elon Musk: 'I arrived in North America at 17 with $2,000'". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  34. ^ Vance (2017), p. 44. Musk's opportunity to flee arrived with a change in the law that allowed Maye to pass her Canadian citizenship to her children.
  35. ^ Junod, Tom (November 15, 2012). "Elon Musk: Triumph of His Will". Esquire. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  36. ^ Vance (2017), pp. 43–44. What rarely gets mentions is that Musk attended the University of Pretoria for five months before heading off on his grand adventure. ... Musk characterized the time at university as just something to do while he awaited his Canadian documentation.
  37. ^ Vance (2017), p. 45. After a 1,900-mile bus ride, he ended up in Swift Current, a town of fifteen thousands people. Musk called a second cousin out of the blue from the bus station and hitched a ride to his house.
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Works cited

Further reading

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